The purpose of this paper is to describe the role of the vaccine manufacturer in the global vaccine enterprise.
Narrative review.
Pharmaceutical companies involved in the vaccine enterprise play critical and often unrecognized roles in the global health management arena. In addition to the obvious role of vaccine production and distribution, companies are often involved in the identification of infectious agents for which vaccines may be of benefit, basic and applied research, process development, pre-clinical and clinical evaluations of vaccine candidates, as well as continuous post-licensure safety monitoring efforts. Vaccine manufacturers interact with health and regulatory agencies, academia and agencies interested in supporting cost-effective means of vaccine distribution to areas most in need of life-saving vaccines.
This review provides the reader with an understanding of the many roles of the manufacturer in the global vaccine enterprise.
